Executive Lead, Cross-Agency Policy & Projects

State of Connecticut; Hartford (CT); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The State of Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management (OPM) seeks an experienced executive to serve as Undersecretary for Special Projects. Reporting to the OPM Secretary, this role leads high-priority initiatives that cross agency lines, requiring coordinated governance, rigorous analysis, and disciplined execution.

Initial focus includes overtime management, workers' compensation improvements, and cross-agency housing initiatives.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience directing complex policy, operational, or implementation initiatives.
• Experience with public-sector labor and workforce issues, overtime management, housing policy, or large-scale governmental operations.
• Experience advising and presenting to governors' offices, cabinet officials, agency heads, or comparably senior leaders.
• Experience communicating complex matters clearly, exercising sound judgment on sensitive issues, and working independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience supervising professional staff and managing consultants, contractors, or cross-functional project teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the OPM Secretary's lead executive for assigned statewide and interagency initiatives and represent the Secretary in meetings, working groups, boards, commissions, and other forums, as assigned.
• Establish project charters, governance structures, decision rights, objectives, work plans, schedules, performance measures, and reporting expectations for major initiatives.
• Analyze complex fiscal, operational, workforce, legal, technological, and organizational issues; develop practical options; and present clear recommendations, tradeoffs, and implementation implications to the Secretary and Governor's Office.
• Identify barriers that span agency jurisdiction, clarify responsibilities, secure executive decisions, and drive timely resolution of issues that threaten schedule, budget, or policy outcomes.
• Coordinate with OPM division heads and agency commissioners or designees to align initiatives with budget requirements, statutory authority, labor obligations, procurement rules, technology plans, and existing programs.
• Oversee the Enterprise Project Manager—Special Projects and any assigned staff, consultants, or work streams; set priorities; review work products; and maintain accountability for deliverables.
• Develop executive dashboards and progress reports that identify milestones, outcomes, fiscal impacts, risks, open decisions, and corrective actions.
• Build consensus among diverse constituencies while maintaining focus on the Administration's policy goals, fiscal stewardship, implementation feasibility, and measurable public value.
• Perform related duties and lead additional priority assignments at the direction of the OPM Secretary.

Skills

Senior leadership

Public-sector labor

Advising & presenting

Clear communication

Staff supervision & project teams

Job description

The State of Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management (OPM) seeks an experienced executive to serve as Undersecretary for Special Projects. Reporting to the OPM Secretary, this role leads high-priority initiatives that cross agency lines, requiring coordinated governance, rigorous analysis, and disciplined execution.

Initial focus includes overtime management, workers' compensation improvements, and cross-agency housing initiatives.